Lake Vermilion Fishing Q&A

[Xplorer]

Ace,

I only get to fish the V a couple times a year, and it is always in October on the west end. Do many folks ice fish the west end?? I have seen where alot of regulars had a tough time this past year, especially catching fish under the slot for eating. I thought about hiting the same areas that I fish in the fall, in the winter with a portable, but don't see boo on the forum for west end ice eye's. I have done very well in the fall for 14-17" eaters the last 3 years.

[FishinCT]

Ace, I appreciate the response. You gave me some great news as I'm mainly a jig and minnow guy anyway. Looking forward to being up there for an extended period of time next fall.

[trolloni]

I would say after a front moves thru the walleyes on big v definatly bight light,especially opener weekend.Ace do you ever fish those cranks for walleyes like you would for bass by pitching em to the shoreline,if so what time of year what types of cranks and colors?

[guideman]

Walleyes every where bite softer after a cold front, it's not something particular to Lake Vermilion. Just use a stinger hook or smaller minnows when jig fishing in the spring.

I do toss crankbaits to the shoreline for Walleyes. It can be a very effective presentation at certain times. During the crawdad molt they will be right up tight to the shoreline, even during midday. Otherwise early morning and evening can be very good especially with a little wind. It is typically a very short window unless you get perfect conditions, cloudy, low light, bait up shallow or several days of wind from the same direction.

There are a lot of different cranks that will catch Walleyes. Minnow style baits are my favorite however they do hit a variety of styles. It just depends on what they are feeding on. It's always a good idea to have a couple different styles rigged and ready to go. Have a Shad rap on one rod and maybe a wally diver on another, just an example. There are times when I get a lot of Walleyes when I'm throwing cranks for Smallmouth. Typically they are crawdad patterns and rounder bodied style cranks. If they are activley feeding it probably won't make a lot of difference what you throw. I have also done very well on rattle baits(lipless cranks)at times. One very important thing to remember is you will typically catch a much better average size fish on a crankbait. So if you haven't tried it you may just want to give it a shot.

"Ace"

[guideman]

There just aren't a lot of people fishing the west end during the winter. A big reason for many is ease of access. You just don't have a lot of options if you want to drive out with a car or truck. You doi see a few portables here and there primarily searching for panfish. I have never fished up there for Walleyes in the winter, so I can't tell you if it's worth it or not.

"Ace"

[Xplorer]

Thanks Ace, I guess I'll just have to give it a whirl next winter and see what I find. I am a sled/otter guy mostly so no roads necessary, even when I can drive out on the ice I don't much (already had to call the Mrs once and tell her I totaled my truck, can't even dream of calling to say I dropped it thru the ice, LOL).

The only access that I've used is the one at head of the lakes bay. Anyone know if the parking area is plowed in winter, or if not is there somewhere to park the rig?

One last thing....my fishing partner is my 8 year old son and if the eye's dont cooperate do you have any tips on finding the panfish (gills or crappies, makes no difference) on the west end? Thanks Terry, hope the soft water comes quick for ya!!

[guideman]

Hey X,

Late ice there is typically some goos Crappie fishing up at the top of Niles bay between the two points where that 50ft hole is. There are a lot of locals that fish it so if the fish are going it's not a big secret. There are some decent gills in the Wakemup narrows during the winter. You just have to try some of the little bays on the north side to locate them. I'm sure there are other spots where ever you can find a weed edge or off of some of the points in the narrows.

"Ace"

[Xplorer]

Thanks! I'll be sure to let ya know how I do next fall/winter. For me its nice in that I am at the landing in 90 minutes from my driveway in Cloquet, so daytrip's are doable.

[SkunkedAgain]

As my screen name suggests, I don't have the greatest luck fishing. However, my two biggest Vermilion walleye (both 27 inches) came in a-typical situations. One was when dragging a rattle crank on an 85 degree sunny day. The other was through the ice on the west end. They are out there. A good mixture of Terry's advice and good fortune will put you on the fish!

[Xplorer]

SA,

I spend most of my free time in summer up on Namakan, and a bit on the east end of Rainy. Somewhat similar to Vermilion (minus the camps and houses). I'm just looking for a place that Junior and I can do daytrips to with a bit of scenery thrown in. Canadian shield, gotta love it.

I'm just not into fishing the duluth/superior harbor for eye's. And if I can figure out some panfish area's, all the better!

[sheephead2]

Hi Ace,

What would be a good pattern to fish Walleye in late August..

Seems the bite is always tough around then anywhere.........

Deep !!!

Rocks!!!

Shallow!!

Mud!!

Cranks

Live bait

Thanks

[guideman]

Hey Gary,

Typically August is one of the best months of the summer for Walleyes on Vermilion.

All the bug hatches are over and we normally get our best weather patterns of the summer. Steady periods of warm temps with very few major weather fronts and the Walleyes will typically be in very predictable locations. The Walleyes will typically be out in the main basin on the reefs, so locating them isn't that tough. Now not all of the fish will be doing the same thing all the time. There will also be fish suspending off of these big main lake structures and some others will be suspended chasing baitfish in the open water. One big key to summertime Walleyes on the east end is that there isn't such a thing as to deep. My good friend Cliff is famous for catching Walleyes as deep as 60ft at times and depths of 30 to 40ft are pretty common, especially on the east end. The west side is a different animal as many of you already know. In the heat of summer Walleyes will seek the cover of deep weedlines on the west end. They can often be caught in much shallower water on the west side, but if there is one thing certian about fishing it's that nothing is certian. Fish can't read the web or In-fishermen, so they are inclined to do just the opposit of what we want them to do sometimes.

Anyway, Lindy rigs and a crawler is what most of us are using in August. I also like to pull blades with a crawler late in the summer. Depending on how active they are both can be very effective however they both have situations when they excell over the other. Slip bobbers can be effective on the reefs in the evening or on windblown rock or points. I of course like to go trolling for those fish suspending out in the basin. They will typically be a better average size than those livebait Walleyes. Another good presentation I like to use in the evening is trolling along the shoreline breaks will a 3 way rig and a minnow style crankbait.

Some of these presentations excell only in small windows of opportunity, while others will catch fish all day long if you're on them. Keep in mind that when I say lindy rigs I'm talking about a plain old lindy rig with a slip sinker and a hook, perhaps a single bead above the hook. Spinners and floater and other kinds of hardware are not lindy rigs. They are simply livebait rigs or spinners for further reference.

Typically larger mainlake structure will produce more consistently than smaller isolated structures. Oh yea you may just hammer them one day on a small piece of rock somewhere however they won't normally spend long periods of time there. Large schools of summertime Walleyes will move quikly once their food supply runs out.

On large complex structures those moves are typically just from one area or point to the next. If they aren't where you found them yesterday then just scout around with your electronics and you will mostlikely find them again. They might be a little deeper or on a different end of the reef but they will most likely be there.

The most important thing to remember is that there is always somebody catching fish somewhere using something totally different than what you are. So keep an open mind and always be willing to change. It will always pay off in the long run and it will make you a much better Walleye angler...wheww!

"Ace"

[ponzie]

Walleyes as deep as 60ft at times and depths of 30 to 40ft are pretty common,

Most fish that come from that deep are dead fish, they float when released.

[Vermilion_figure_8]

Ace,

What are some of the biggest muskies you have heard from reliable sources coming out of vermilion?

Timmy

[guideman]

Ponzi,

Fish coming up from deep water need to be played slowly if you deside to fish that deep. If they are not slot fish you can put tham in the live well, problem solved.

You can also fizz them and release the air from the blader so that they can swim back down. As I said before, the fact is when people go fishing, some fish are going to die. Even when you make what appears to be a good release, a percentage of those fish will die from post release mortality. If you don't like to see the deep fish floating then it's your option not to fish in deep water. Every time you drop a hook over the side you take the risk of killing a fish, just because it's in shallow water that doesn't mean that all the released fish will survive.

"Ace"

[guideman]

Hey Timmy,

I have heard a lot of stories about Muskies 60 inches and even larger. The fact is though that I have seen photos of a number of fish in the 55 to 57 inch range and one 58 incher. It's hard to believe anyone catching a 60 incher wouldn't have any photos of it, so I'm a little sceptical about those 60 incher stories. The largest fish I have seen in my boat was released last September. It measured 54.5" with a girth of 26", so it weighed in the neigborhood of 49lbs and that's a pretty nice neighborhood.

[StillFishin']

Ace, a question for you since you're been in a good posting mood. Keep it up as your posts are very interesting.

Very often when fishing for 'eyes I find that a don't see any arches on my graph. I have become a custom to using the graph to find structure and not look for arches on the graph. Sometimes I catch eyes but when I don't I wonder if their are any down there and wasting my time.

Do you find this also or do you rely of finding aches and then fish?

StillFishin'

[jparrucci]

I rarely rely on electronics for finding fish on Lake Vermilion. More than any lake I've fished, the walleyes on Vermilion really tend to hung the bottom tight, especially in nuetral to negative mood times. I do find them showing up much more often in low light periods and around fronts, but post front I rarely mark much that isn't basically glued to the bottom. Without a good graph, you probably won't see much during many conditions. I upgraded this year and do now see more. More often than not, it is just a small blip on the bottom that often is mixed right into the mud/sand/rock, and isn't really distiguishable as an actual fish.

[Bob Schultz]

Ace,

How about telling us the detailed story of your 54.5 inch 26 girth-- 49 pound monster Musky? Congrats! ---had not heard about that fish until this thread.

Not looking for the spot just a good narrative on the experience of catching a true trophy---Weather, bait, time, fight, measuring, celebration, net job, moon phase, who you were with in the boat etc...

-How does one feel after catching a once in a lifetime Musky?

Great thread by the way---Thanks

[guideman]

That 54.5 incher was caught by a first time client. It was also his first Muskie.

Isn't that the way is always goes. It was caught on the 11th of September in the weeds at 9:15 am. We had fished all the previous day and had only had one lazy follow. They had ask if we could go Smallmouth fishing the second day and I said yea fine if that's what you want to do.

After I dropped them off I went home and watched the weather channel to see what the weather was going to do the next day. We were going to get a major change in the morning, so when I picked them up I said, instead of going Smallmouth fishing this morning, we are going after Muskies again. I was sure we'd get an oppotunity to move a few fish and they were still game so we went to my favorite weed bed and started casting. You could see the front coming in as we got started but as yet the barometer hadn't changed much. We just kept throwing and I made a few color changes to the Glittertails we were throwing. At 8:45 we started to move some fish and they all seemed interested in the bait but these guys were rookies and they missed a couple. I grabed the rod and gave them another demostration on how to do a figure eight.

Sundenly we were moving fish on almost evey cast, I think the count was 12 fish in 25 minutes. We had just had a 44 incher get off at the boat and I was looking the other way and as I turned I saw this giant head blast the bait of the guy on the bow. He was sceaming it's a big fish, it's a big fish and he was right. After a pretty good battle and a couple of runs around the boat I got it in the net and we realized just how big it was. We actually caught two fish that day and they were both personal best for thoes guys. We caught a 48 incher on the last cast of the day to round out a pretty exciting day of Muskie fishing. Both fish were caught on #8 Glittertails,one was in the weeds and the other was in a reed bed. You can see the photos of the fish on my facebook page or on my webpage, you'll know which one it is, it's the big one.

"Ace"

[Lunds3]

Hi Ace,

I have fished the east end of Vermilion since I was little in 1980. Additionally, my father and I have fished another lake in Ontario. We have found a pattern for walleyes there that I haven't been able to replicate on Vermilion. Just wondering if you have tried anything similar with any luck?

Here goes... we have caught large 'eyes (26 to 32") in necked down long channel areas that have side bays where there is at least one deep hole say about 38ft with surrounding 25 FOW.

I'm guessing these are travel waysides that also hold lots of bait. Not looking for specific areas, just if you think it's an option on Vermilion or what your experiences have been if you have tried this.

Thanks,

Josh

[guideman]

Hey Lund,

If you can find a similar area on Vermilion it's worth a shot. Neckdowns with small bays/coves would hold fish, however it would be primarily a spring time pattern in my estimation. If there is a substantial current it may be a year round pattern however without current, I'm not sure if it would be something that would produce all year long. Typically neckdowns between two seperate water bodies will have some current. During the spring these types of areas really attract spawning fish moving to prime spawning areas, usually up stream. There are some areas here that are similar to what you descibe, bay mouths with channels between a smaller bay and the main basin. There are some that get a lot of activity however most are at their best in spring or fall when Walleyes are on the move. I'm not so sure that there are a lot of "Resident" fish in these areas. JMHO.

"Ace"

[guideman]

I see we haven't had and Largemouth bass questions yet. I know there isn't a lot of Bass anglers out on Vermilion on any given day however we do have some very good Largemouth action, especially on the west end. I love fishing the thick stuff and catching them on surface frogs or buzzbaits. The will bite on a lot of different presentations over the course of the summer, including spinnerbaits, cranks. jerkbaits, swimbaits, a wide variety of soft plastic concoctions, surface baits, spoons, jigs and on and on. To bad hardly anybody local ever fishes for them.

"Ace"

[delcecchi]

So are largemouth largely in the slop? Maybe I will pick up a couple of those frogs and have at it.

[jparrucci]

I've had accidental catches early in the year while panfishing in shallow on the west end. Always in shallow in the weeds. I have not seen one SE of Oak Narrows, although I'm sure they are out there somewhere on the East end. I'm devoting my summer to finding where crappies exist on the East end/Frazer Bay area. They have to be out there SOMEWHERE. The boat ride in a 14 footer to Black Bay and other areas of the West end is getting old.

[muskie-mike]

I have had a cabin in the Frazer bay area for 23 years. The crappie fishing for me has declined since the Rusty crayfish ate all the weedbeds.

Bystrom bay used to be good. Get a few in Greenwood once in a while since there still are weeds there.Used to be many patches of cabbage beds where you could catch them.Let me know if you find some or we can hunt together sometime..

[guideman]

Hey guys,

Like I said before I don't guide for Crappies, however I do know some locations on the east end that aren't to far from Fraser bay. I think there are several good areas up north of Pine island that a good Crappie fisherman could find by just looking around. I can't devulge the exact locations because they aren't my spots, but like I said a good Crappie angler should be able to locate some prime areas up there just by looking around.

"Ace"

[guideman]

Hey Del,

There are LM Bass swimming off points and on rockpiles, however they are primarily in heavy cover much of the summer. There are lots of great LM areas down by you and some great fishing can be had. In cover like pads I just love to throw topwater frogs because the strike is so cool. You do miss some fish but it's a gas to have them come blasting up through all that cover to eat that frog. You don't really need to get a lot of specialized gear, unless of course you deside to really get into it. A medium heavy to heavy action bait casting rod, I like a 7 footer but get what is comfortable for you. A high speed reel is best but any good baitcaster will work. I use either a 20lb mono or a 50lb braid, depending on how thick the cover is. Then just go and have at it. I like the small dollar pads over the large ones but that's just me.

Have fun!

"Ace"

[jparrucci]

Bystrom Bay is the one spot where I have always thought looked good around the spawn for crappies, just never gave it the effort. Between Birch Narrows and Timbucktu has plenty of weeds and I have given that area a fair shot, but have come up empty. It is a great area to catch some northerns though, just troll around through there with just about anything, and you will catch 2-6 pound pike. Just watch out for those BIG toothy critters, I had one enhale a pike that weighed about 4 pounds and scare the carp out of me.

Niles Bay/Wolf Bay has produced a few during the fall and summer, but it is hit and miss, and you have to really use your electronics to find them. I fish at the mouth of Greenwood often near the duck blind (although that spot was a dead sea last year) and haven't seen a crappie caught there, or marked what would look like crappies on the graph. I know there is plenty of weed cover in Greenwood, I would assume they have to be there somewhere.

I think the largemouth get passed up on Vermilion because there is perfectly good smallmouth fishing, and I know which species I would rather catch.

[Vermilion_figure_8]

If you want to get the bigger LM bass...you gotta throw muskie gear and get them by accident! but i agree with ACE, most of the time you can find them back in the slop, but also you can find them scattered on shallow rocky breaks and points, you must be mobile to get on those fish, but its hard to beat throwing a frog back in the slop, make sure you have thick braid to dig them out, or sometimes a smaller wire leader so the hammer handle pike dont bite you off!